Articles

Free Agent: Battlefield Heroes

GameSpy's Free Agent is your advance recon into the world of free-to-play games. His mission: jump into a free game every week and put in some hours to see how much fun can be had without spending a cent, then try out some paid items to see if they're worth the asking price. This week, he gets in a tank and plows through the adorable villages and picturesque tree-dotted hills of Battlefield Heroes.

Think of this as Battlefield Lite. It's encased in a convenient browser window and is less taxing on both your brain and your hardware -- but it's actually an exciting change from its hard-edged older brothers. Here, the dour greys and browns of other online shooters are abandoned for fun, cartoony colors and aesthetics, but it's all shaped by the stellar multiplayer level design we've come to know from the Battlefield franchise.

No Money Down

As the name suggests, this chapter of Battlefield is all about your "hero." You'll craft him by choosing between one of two armies, before selecting one of three customizable classes. The Gunner is your standard heavy weapons guy, with big guns and a robust health pool to match. The Commando is a more sneaky, light-limbed fellow capable of stealth. I created a Soldier in the square-jawed Royals faction -- an all-rounder capable of both support and damage. From here, it is up to me to decorate him in clothing, abilities, and guns.

You'll have plenty of options when it comes to the look of your hero.

When I first load into the game, I'm a bit jealous of other players' cool hats and stylish t-shirts - but even more so their ability to blow me to bits seemingly effortlessly, sending my embarrassingly default-looking hero's corpse splattering against walls or flying into the sky. Life as a newbie is tough, but that's not to be mistaken for being boxed into a pay-to-win scheme. Though earning XP can be irksomely slow, things get better as I accumulate Hero Points. Obtained at the rate of one every second level, these are used to purchase and upgrade class abilities.

You can rent a gun for a day or you can dish out a bigger wad of currency to actually own it.

At the same time I'm building up Valor Points, the "free" currency earned through gameplay and expedited by fulfilling mission goals. In the Store I can put Valor towards a variety of items, including cosmetic clothing and armor, emotes (most often used to extend a slain enemy's humiliation), and most interestingly, weapons and widgets. Almost all have curious time-based purchase options; you can essentially rent a gun for a day, for example, or you can dish out a bigger wad of currency to actually own the thing for an unlimited amount of time.

Don't expect to get these with Valor Points alone.

Not many weapons are buyable with Valor Points - the few that are tend to be sidegrades rather than upgrades, and only 1-day and 3-day options are available. Overall, the time it takes to earn enough Valor doesn't really pay off when used on weapons. Instead, it's better to sink them into the lesser tiers of widgets, which are special, limited items. The damage-negating Fantastic Fire Proof Underpants and self-explanatory Supreme Bandages are examples of particularly useful widgets.

With Burning Bullets, I no longer felt like I was simply shooting paperclips at steel-skinned enemies.

I reached level 6 after a couple of hours, with my Hero Points sunk into a damage-over-time ability called Burning Bullets. Gameplay became a bit more satisfying; now that I could oh-so-gloriously set my targets on fire, I no longer felt like I was simply shooting paperclips at steel-skinned enemies. Though I've had fun, leveling is a bit of a slow crawl, and I begin to eye my options for paid content.

Insert Coin

While in-game antics earn Valor Points, the majority of things on the Store are purchased with Play4Free Funds. Don't be confused by the name: this is the currency used to access paid content. Play4Free Funds come in various tiers of payment, ranging from 1300 Funds for $2 to 50,000 for $50, and as you might suspect, you'll generally get more bang for the amount of buck you lay down.

Play4Free Funds definitely aren't free.

Predictably, you'll be paying for nice, rounded amounts of Funds only to have items cost anywhere from 199 to 8399, meaning you can expect some leftover moolah to be marooned on your account. If it's any consolation, though, the Funds are a shared currency also usable in other free-to-play EA games, namely Command and Conquer, Lord of Ultima, and Battlefield Play4Free.

First thing to note is that the Play4Free Funds aren't going to buy you a massive or distinct advantage on the battlefield.

First thing to note is that the Play4Free Funds aren't going to buy you a massive or distinct advantage on the battlefield. The majority of paid content is cosmetic, coming in the form of dinosaur hats or various colors of goofy high-water pants. The weapon variety for those with a walletful of Play4Free Funds is a lot greater, and once again, the widgets are where the really interesting gameplay opportunities lie.

I decided to sink $14 into 12,000 worth of Funds, which seems like a reasonable amount to spend on a game I'd already received a few hours' worth of entertainment from. My first purchase was a daylong, +150% Supreme XP Boost widget for 2499 Funds, or the equivalent of about $3. I thought I'd couple this with a month's worth of a Scoped SOF M16 for 3599 Funds, or $4.20, to help funnel my bullet sprays into more precise areas.

Both these purchases lessen the vague facedesk feeling I was getting from the plodding default leveling process. While the new gun wasn't a huge upgrade, its scope proved enough of an aiming aid that I started achieving better results in combat, and my higher kill count was multiplied by the XP modifier, which resulted in both more Hero Points and Valor Points rolling in. Though I'm still far off being an actual "hero," I began to imagine myself one day amongst the smirking, band-tee-adorned players who have repeatedly played trumpets over my dead body.

Free or Flee?

Players of Battlefield Heroes are far more likely to be disadvantaged by their patience than their unwillingness to open their wallets. For those tiring of slow leveling or the default gear, a reasonable amount of cash will speed or spice things up respectively. Though time-limited items may seem bizarre at first, it's a low price to pay, especially if you don't foresee yourself taking up this game for more than a couple of months.

Despite the default sluggish XP gain, Battlefield Heroes is a good shooter even at the free level, thanks to its enjoyable combat and outstanding map design. It's not likely to be a waste of your money or your free time.

Spy Guy says: Do all those hats, pants, and shirts come in green? What can I say, it's a color that makes my eyes pop. Have you invested time and/or money in Battlefield Heroes? What's your take on the free, cartoon version of the hardcore shooter?